Secrets in the Bayou, out there in the swamps there are a million places to hide and twice as many things best left unfound.
While developing my Call of Cthulhu map a while back I was rereading the book and came to the chapter about the ritual in Louisiana. I thought that would make for a really awesome encounter with loose footing and lots of environmental hazards- on top of the cultists and whatever monsters they conjure up. This map has a handful of other variations. Quicksand, a stranded boat and crashed plane, a fey swamplands filled with massive bones and bugs, unicorn’s grove, a jungle canopy tarzan-like branch above.
I probably should have done something romantic for a valentines day release, but instead I made a big stinky bog.
The Phantom coachman never stops, his carriage rolls through the fog of purgatory to collect the spirits of the dead.
The moors of dolver are haunted, its few pine-lined roads crisscross between settlements draped in an oppressive gloom. Its reaching castles filled with what few stalwart souls choose to linger in the lands where the veil of purgatory and the world of the living grows the thinnest. It is here that it is sometimes said the phantom coachmen can be seen with the naked eye moving those whose time has come from the lands of the living to the darkness hereafter. Normally his hauntings pass us by unseen but in places like dolver he is said to roll with his ghostly steeds through walls of fog for the briefest of moments. It is best to ignore such things, they are not for the living to witness. And if his coach arrives for you it is best to climb aboard- no use running the phantom coachman never stops.
The Coachman is my setting, Crudilex’s grim reaper. I wanted to do a sort of gothic horror- carchase type encounter where the players are literally running from death. Something with that frakenstine-ravenloft sort of stink!
Rouge Wave, 80 feet high like a monolith of tortured water falling over your ship, a crumbling mountain of surf turning everything around you to splinters.
I called to the other men that the sky was clearing, and then a moment later I realized that what I had seen was not a rift in the clouds but the white crest of an enormous wave. I’ve experienced the ocean in all its moods. I had not encountered a wave so gigantic. It was a mighty upheaval of the ocean, a thing quite apart from the big white-capped seas that had been our tireless enemies for many days.
Then came a moment of suspense that seemed drawn out into hours. White surged the foam of the breaking sea around us. We felt our boat lifted and flung forward like a cork in breaking surf. We were in a seething chaos of tortured water and our ship shuddered under the blow.
Sky Pirates and aeronauts are generally mortal enemies but the few things they agree on should be headed by all who climb to the clouds. And among the many superstitions one stands above all others- That in the dark skies over crudilex is a horrible cursed vessel. A ash-black skiff hull what rests on the bones of an Arcwhale. Whose damned crew of phantoms kills and butchers any ship that comes into their line of fire and cannot be felled with a blade or gun.
The legends tell of a Cutlass of green phantom steel forged in the lands of the dead and smuggled back to the living. “Wake” they say its named. And who wields this cutlass commands the ship of lost souls, This power over death is yours while you live but once your time comes your everafter belongs to the Phantom Airship, The Frigid Gale.
Another map from my setting Crudilex, Airships are a key feature of the setting and the daring aeronauts who sail the skies make for many of the world's heroes and adventurers. And what's more troublesome for a sailor than a ghostship. This particular ship sails to and from the realms of the dead mooring in purgatory in the ghost city of Tanare, Which I’ll have a map set in coming out soon!
Wytch's Dale, A single narrow pass between towering frozen mountains. The laws of the coven here say passing through in complete silence is the only way to reach the other side.
Nestled at the eastern edge of the Algēre glacier lies Wytch's Dale, a forest choked by silence. This woodland valley is home to one of the oldest witch covens in all of Crudilex, a sisterhood of Blooded Riven who forged a pact with the Dryad personification of the season of winter in ages long past. Through this pact, the witches gained dominion over the Dale, ruling unchallenged and exacting tribute from all who pass through. Magic and secrets must be offered, and any who cross their territory must pay this tithe or pass their lands without speaking a single word. An unnatural silence hangs over the dale, not a birdsong and animal call to be heard within. Even beasts respect this dominion of the coven.
To loudly cross Wytch's Dale unwelcomed and without paying their tithe is to welcome disaster into your life, perhaps not right away, but well into your future. curses are grown right into the roots of the trees and those who fail to pay their due to cross will find the dale has a way of following you back to where you are going and getting what it is owed.
This map is another feature from my setting crudilex, the covens are a culture in the setting that gathers magic without any regard to its source, believing there is no evil in magic. Some covens align themselves with a single creature like the Coven of Winter here in Wytch’s Dale. The idea was one of those classic video game looping dungeons, where you have to successfully make it to the other side of an area perfectly or be sent back to the beginning.
“It lumbered slobberingly into sight and gropingly squeezed Its gelatinous green immensity through the black doorway into the tainted outside air of that poison city of madness. … The Thing cannot be described—there is no language for such abysms of shrieking and immemorial lunacy, such eldritch contradictions of all matter, force, and cosmic order.”
Inspired by the classic, the call of Cthulhu, I imagine this map as an encounter where cultists have gathered at an ancient ritual ziggurat far out to sea, and our heroes have to stop them completing their eldritch ritual before releasing a big nasty Cthulhu-like baddy into the world. Classic as it gets!
Ritual Summoning! Calling to planes beyond and pulling creatures into this one. Never once has it been a bad idea! A battle map set in a ruined castle during a forbidden rite with 9 variations!
“Little unknown fact. Most evil summoning rituals are actually just teleportation spells. They just are open for a few moments and the portals are right in the worst possible place. Or best I suppose. Depending on how into monster invasions you are.” - Ida Holly.
Rain pelts the cobblestones as the characters approach the crumbling castle on the hill. The glowing light off the magical circles coloring the falling rain. All round standing astride fallen stones the cultists chant all their voices combining into one horrid hum, a call into the slowly opening window into the other realm.
A call that is returned from the otherside.
This battlemap was originally inspired by the opening scene from Guillermo del Toro’s amazing 2004 Hellboy. One of my absolute favorite movies. The scene where Rasputin opens the portal seemed like it would make for an amazing D&D encounter. And I decided to make a whole series of maps inspired by similar Magical Evil Summonings! Including Calling to the Void, Demonic Resurrections, Eldritch far realms portals, Kraken Waking, And Fairy Circle rites. As well as a repaired version of the castle before it fell to ruin and a Dieselpunk Tank outpost!
A classic battlemap of mine, while I still hold a special place in my heart for it this map no longer reflects my current skill level and so I’m offering a steep discount at more than half off! Please enjoy! If you really love it let me know and mabye I’ll remake it at a quailty more reflective of my current work!
~Bal
Necromancy is gross, But have you ever seen an artificer try their hand at it... That's a new and exciting kind of Gross.
-Ida Holly
Monster Factory, our adventurers have followed leads of strange monsters all across Eberron centered around a factory nestled in a quiet north side factory district.
A mastermind calling himself Lord Cardillo has been Forging monsters of all sorts with foul alchemy, Forbidden Necromancy, and all the Mechanical wonders of Eberron than secretly sending them out into the world for nefarious enigmatic reasons. cornered now This villain would be happy to see this factory reduced to ruin before besmirching his good name, and will trigger all manner of havoc causing explosions throughout the factory from his well-protected control room all while taunting our heroic adventurers.
Monster Factory is a 7 phased battle map, It is chaotic and very goofy much like the namesake. Cheers to the good good boys. The green Ooze is inspired by "The Dip" from Who framed Rodger Rabbit, My hope is the encounter will become something of a The floor is lava sort of experience as the party fends off the factory's creations and tries and stop them from erupting out of glass chambers and reanimating from the conveyor belt.
Dead Man’s Party! When the veil grows thin the dead can return for a brief time to the world of the living, And there are some few who take full advantage until the sun rises!
There are some few with the innate ability to see ghosts, Via Cruse, or boon, blessing, magic, or perhaps even being born an innate medium. But all who truly bear this power will tell you that the personalities of the dead are just as diverse as the living. And when they get an infrequent chance to celebrate, poking their spectral heads back onto our side of the veil, they absolutely get down.
Don’t believe me? Just cast a speak with dead spell on hallows eve at your local graveyard and see what happens. Don’t forget to bring some ale, because decades in the grounds leaves one mighty hankering for a stiff drink!
Inkarnate’s own Mati and I collabed together for a special halloween map! Inspired by the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 in New Orleans and The happy haunts of the haunted mansion at Disney. Mati built the map and I provided the phases!
Find more of Mati’s over at https://inkarnate.com/p/34K9WG--mati/
Too many enemies to fight, your party flees until they reach a vast gorge, The only way across,A rickety bridge. Would you go for it? The Rope Bridge of Doom, A 5 phased battle map inspired by the classic fight scene from Indiana Jones.
“The surprise doesn't come from the fact that it collapsed, Look at it, Of COURSE it collapsed. The surprise was not knowing WHEN or HOW it would!” - Ida Holly
Every campaign isn't complete without a few key adventure scenes, A statue that comes to life, A door you can’t get through, A slowly lowering ceiling, and the Rope Bridge of Doom. This map is my take on the classic battle at the end of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with the Thuggee cult chasing after them.
And you know,
If Indy could have played as an Aarakocra at level 1, I’m sure the scene would have played out VERY differently.
“There are cracks in your authority my king, as big as those in the fabric of spacetime behind you…” - Ida Holly
At the end of all things the Scarlet king awaits. The lord of horror and master of all evils who came after him. His malignant energies have merged with the ley lines and taken root in the very heart of the world causing generations of darkness to bubble to the surface and a legion of minions to rise to his wordless commands. And here, at the heart of everything you have entered his throne room, a simple enough looking man, humble even. But as your indignance continues the Scarlet king casts aside any semblance of humanity. revealing the true horror. no more wasted power on illusions. No more wasted intentions on mercy. After centuries of waiting the final battle at last can begin.
This map is the final battle location for the campaign of a years long supporter of mine! I’ve made something around 50 maps for his games through commissions and it's been very cool to paint all these scenes of his players' stories for a few years now. I've felt like an honorary player invested in their adventure. (Or a secret villain, if you look at the maps I’ve made for them, sorry about all the explosions!) This map is the final final of that game, a proper Cosmic BBEG arena!
Like ZOINKS! It’s Halloween. So here is the last map of my Fun Scary October series! An 8 map collection of maps inspired by Scooby Dooby Doo! From Zombie Island to the Harlem globetrotters!
The last map of the Fun Scary series is here and its Scooby doo inspired! I grew up watching the 60s scooby on cartoon network and there is no way I could do a fun scary theme without the number one mystery gang!
This collection includes many of the gang’s most Iconic cases as well as the mystery machine in the bottom portion of each, arriving on the scene to unmask some ghoulies! There are also variations available without the Mystery Machine present in case you want to use them in a normal fantasy, or DnD game,
Among the collection is the Ghoulish Graveyard, the Abominable Lodge, the Globe Trotters Court, Knight at the Museum, The glowing diver’s Dark Lagoon, and Zombie Island! As well as the haunted house the bats fly past in the original intro and Funland. The theme park that was haunted by a robot for whatever reason. It was the 60s, haha.
“The Void of hell is isolation, paranoia, loneliness. I don’t know which is worse. Eternity of torment or eternity of- nothing.” - Ida Holly
What is the measure of a man? The sum of his deeds and his failures, weighed against eternity. Who are the divine to pass judgment, to offer me paradise or damnation? I will not submit, I will not bow. My soul will not be so easily reaped, nor will I surrender the final spark of my essence to a hollow, proud eternal. If you desire my soul, come and take it. Face me here, as a warrior, upon the scales of judgment. Should you triumph, I will consign myself to your eternity. But if I am victorious, my spirit and its power shall be granted the gift of absolute oblivion.
This map I wanted to play with the way we use and think about phased maps.instead of making something sequential this time the map serves as a tug of war back and forth. I imagine the scales tipping one way or another depending on where the bulk of the fighters are, forcing players to make interesting choices as to where they want to be standing to affect the tip of the scales or the battle!
All we need to do is escape the cell, get out into the yard, Avoid the guards, stay out of the light, sneak down to the dock, and row a few miles through stormy seas! See, breaking out of jail is easy!
The thunder will mask our hammers breaking the wall. So we have to escape during a storm, and it's the end of the season so either we break out now or we are trapped on this hell island for another year- Are odds are bad, horrible really. But it’s go now or rot.
For this map I really wanted to play with light, Shifting the shadows along with the spot lights to create a dynamic environment for a fun stealth encounter. The best thing about this map is it can be run forward and backward over and over to have the lights slowly pan back and forth as the players are sneaking along and avoiding guards. It was inspired by the first dungeon, the forsaken fortress, from Zelda Wind Waker so if your DM runs it they legally have to let you hide under barrels.
Lmure’s and Gentledevils! Such a shame you all died, But worry not It’s time again for the carnival of vehicular violence! Hell will spit you out if you can out deathrace the Infernal Engines of our champion devils, The 7 deadly sins!
What happens AFTER a full party wipe? the whole team dies, the battle is lost is this the end for our heroes?. Nope! They are sent to hell. Now the trick is getting out! Luckily down on the first layer lives “The Ringmaster” a twisted Devil who shirks his duty to the archdevils to instead rake in the soul coins in infernal engine death races!
He offers to planar shift them back home, but only if they win a race against the devilish reincarnations of all the villains they’ve killed in life! The 7 deadly sins- Hell’s poster children for evil and the once-living BBEGs your party has put away. You beat them once right? Cant be so hard now that they are devils!
“Love is an endless conversation that somehow still feels too short.” - Ida Holly
Wedding in the Woods, I’m getting married! This map is my fantasy interpretation of our Venue.
This map is a dedication to my wife. I'm posting this on our wedding day, Time set to release as were at the altar saying I do! What better way for a Cartographer to commemorate their love than to make a map about it, haha. I make two styles of map, Phased and Variation, but for this one I did both!
Thank you for the support everyone has shown me over these years map making, I'm so glad to have the community at my back who has helped me feel secure enough to do something as crazy as planning a whole wedding! It’ll be a little quiet for awhile as Im off to my honeymoon! Cheers!
-Balatro
Every year I make 4 horror, halloween, spooktober maps only for the whole month! And now you can grab them all together just in time to plot out your evil DM macinations for a October one-shot or speical goulish episode of your main game!
This bundle Includes maps from Spooktober 2021!
Crye 1313 the Ghost Train: The Haunted train traped in an endless loop as it endless attempts to escape the disaster in eberron.
Dark and Stormy Night: A haunted graveyard cast stark shadows as the thunder crashes, The Rain pours down, and the tombs open up
Sunset at the Vampire's Castle: The Lair of a vampire lord resting in his crypt tell night falls. As his prisoners you have until night arrives to prepare for the coming battle!
The Pumpkin Hut: A cute little home to haunted familiars inside a giant rotting pumpkin!
“In the realms of madness in the darkness between the stars the beings of pure thought dream up what form they will take when they breach into reality. Horrors literally beyond imagination.” - Ida On the Far Realms.
Equipped with a few potions of water breathing and with the help of their Triton guide the heroes plunge deeper and deeper in search of the lost ship. Silently descending for what feels like hours until the sun grows weak above. Precious few glittering beams of light offer a fleeting comfort as creeping inhuman murmuring begins infecting their minds.
The darkness itself seems to reach out all around the abyssal depths. As you descend ever further into the void the muffled drone of the sea grows quiet and the whispers grow louder. The Thing feels your approach. It knows your sins. And it’s massive- terrible eye opens at the bottom of the cold, angry nothing.
Atop the tower the wizards' crystal prison contained the Atropal all too well, it could not escape but neither could it be moved and the rotting curse poisoned the land for a generation.
“A wizard did it. Just put a sign up outside of every arcane disaster from now on- nine times out of ten it’s right.” - Ida Holly
Meddling is the great strength of wizards, tinkering on the fringes of the powers of the universe. Mostly their magic is cosmically harmless. But every era or so some mage gets ambitious. An attempt to create a Divine being by a mortal is doomed to failure- but that attempt will always come at a cost. For the case of the grim tower it was the lives of an entire civilization for two generations.
To the wizards credit the being was summoned and created. But it contained none of what makes a creature “alive” in any sense. Devoid of purpose it quickly became an atropal. The last act of the mage was sealing it in a prison it could not escape. Sealing the undead unborn god atop the tower where corruption ate away at everything for miles around.
Deep below the castle dungeons the servants hear the cries of those who are taken. But the Duke of the castle continues to forbid anyone from investigating, and prisoners continue to vanish. Lich’s Lair! Also with 10 other variations from archeological dig to a Fallout vault!
The main map of this pack is a Lich’s Lair where a necromancer secretly prepares to preform the transformation, but this map collection includes 10 other variations as well! A pirate’s cove, sewer cistern, fallout vault, Yuan-Ti jungle shrine, a cloning facility, a red dragon’s horde, A graffiti covered buildsite inspired by Cyberpunk 2077’s Dogtown, a myconid colony, And a dinosaur fossil archeological dig site!
The lich’s lair variant map is part of a Noir-inspired murder mystery one-shot, Murder! At castle Kradsten. The 4 hour whodunit adventure places each of the characters at the scene of the crime with only a handful of suspects, including each other! Because in this One-Shot mystery the twist is- a member of the party is a PLANT!
Deep in the deadlands, Poisoned by decades of undeath. At the heart of this evil, barren place. Lies the forsaken steps. A stair climb to the top of a mountain above which hangs the heart of the curse, A mysterious dark star.
“Sometimes, There is nothing to magic missile BESIDES the darkness!” - Ida Holly
It cost so much to reach even just the first stair. The Plaguelands stretches from the mountain all the way beyond the horizon and all that can be seen is death. No plants, no animals. Just the undead waiting for the black star to awaken and their master to return from the darkness beyond.
The doom that has hung over the horizon threatening this world for a generation has at last found the heroes who can undo it. Hopefully.
After they ascend the Forsaken Steps.
This map is a location from my own setting, Crudilex. And was a location of immense historical importance to a nearly world ending plague. My thought is the location where a BBEG might be waiting for the heroes to come face to face can be just as dangerous or important to their wicked plot as the villain themselves!
Mountains of Madness, 9 phased battlemap set in the high peaks of Leng, Below the eons dead Land of the South Pole. At the heart of the ruined city of elder things the Shogoths stir awake.
“Takali-li… Takali-li”
Below the unknown tallest mountain on earth, where the elder things fled into the vast unknown darkness 50 million years before the first vestiges of humanity would crawl from the mud. Below an abandoned city wracked by polar ice as the planet froze over made it uninhabitable.
The howling abyss leading infinitely down, below the mountains of madness. But what is it that howls?
My first call of Cthulhu inspired map! This map is based on what in my opinion is Lovecraft's best work, Mountains of Madness.. The book spends almost all of its length describing the growing mystery of the origins of life on earth starting with as little as a mysterious fossilized footprint and ending with- well the scene I duplicated here as our encounter!
The rise of the shaggoth who built the massive city and in all likelihood were responsible for its ultimate demise.
A classic battlemap of mine, while I still hold a special place in my heart for it this map no longer reflects my current skill level and so I’m offering a steep discount at more than half off! Please enjoy! If you really love it let me know and mabye I’ll remake it at a quailty more reflective of my current work!
~Bal
“My father used to say that death is just another journey. That always made me think, if the soul leaves the body where does it go? Can a cartographer dream- what would it mean to map the afterlife?”
-Ida Holly
Our adventurers find themselves in need of a medium to contact a person who has died. However when they reach out to summon a ghost, instead something else responds. Something sinister from beyond which attaches to the medium and forces their way back into the world of the living.
This map is a ten phased battle map inspired by the new set in a séance room in which spectral powers grab and swear objects around the room, possess statues and furniture, and eventually pull everything around the crystal ball like a tiny black hole before exploding dramatically- destroying the building in which the summoning occurred.
I designed this map after being inspired by reading van Richten's guide to Ravenloft and it’s wonderful art. made for your Ravenloft avengers, Victorian Sherlock, or Eberron mysteries.
Trapped in an endless loop of its final moments escape the dead-grey fog of the mourning. Cyre 1313’s domain of dread is a personal hell for phantom its passengers.
Our heroes find themselves lost in the deadly mysterious mists of the domains of dread, Wandering its fog when a Lightning rail roars into view. Boarding it moments before it launches full speed out of the fog into a dark forest. Its passengers panic and hang on, Screaming and clutching one another. Crying out as the City of Cyre is consumed by the mourning’s Dead Grey fog, which closes in from behind.
Closing over train car after train car our heroes must fight to the front, where the last passenger. Who held the train from leaving the station, can be found sipping wine, calm as can be. Blissfully unwilling to accept fault for the other passengers being consumed by the fog. Until the fog closes in on this final car. Just moments before bursting through the fog to the other side. A train station. Where our heroes boarded. And all again in an endless cycle, the train launches forward. Endlessly reliving this final moment to punish its last passenger.
This map is the first of my October spooky maps only set! Crye 1313 is so so cool, it’s a real shame all we got about this awesome domain of dread was a single paragraph (page 168 of VRgtR) and some great art! Hopefully, this gets this cool little Piece of spooky Eberron lore into more games!
This set also includes two variations, one with motion blur and one without the Dead-Grey fog!
Deep in the forest, not unlike this one, There were three little children. Each braver than the next. They all traveled far from home and came upon a graveyard on a hill surrounded by a large iron fence. Too small to see beyond its stone foundation the first child dared the second to peer into the keyhole of the graveyard’s gate.
“It’s just red,” said the second boy. The first boy peered into the keyhole, And he saw the same, Nothing but a deep red. The last child, the bravest girl, peered seeing the dark red than she climbed the fence and looked over but there was nothing on the other side.
“You get down from there” called the groundskeeper don’t need you getting hurt like that other kid.”
“Someone got hurt here?” Said the girl.
“That’s right, died falling off that there fence. Not unlike yourself other than them dark red eyes.”
All the children slowly looked back at the keyhole.
For this map, I wanted to create the kind of setting where the players feel that something is coming, Jumping at shadows, expecting something to happen. A storm slowly grows over the phases as graves rumble and open. Perhaps releasing waves of undead like zombies or ghosts. And in a flash, a lightning bolt strikes the large tree in the center. Which is a call back to the first map I ever made. I think this location would be an awesome place for a final climactic battle scene of an adventure.
Your party finds themselves as the unwilling guests of a powerful Vampire Lord. Kept as little more than pets to entertain this ageless monster. She sleeps now, and you’ve and managed to escape your bonds. You have perhaps an hour to explore as much of this level of the castle as you can and maybe a way out.
When the glowing golden light of sunset begins to bathe over you. The sun has begun to set. Already you hear your captor stirring. The race against time has begun.
This map is the second of my Spooktober map series where I’ll only be making horror-themed maps for all of October. This map I imagined playing something like an escape room, the players unarmed as the clock ticks before the vampire awakes, Gathering what weapons they can, or trying to break into some of the locked rooms of the castle, or finding a suitable place to hide. I think this map would make for a really fun Survival horror style one-shot!
A were-house? Are we absolutely positive this isn't a miscommunication? - Ida Holly
They say, on a full moon when the stars are dim from the countless lantern lights, deep in the city it stirs. A mimic, Unlike anything else, its hunger more ceaseless and driving. Worse still it never divides, never loses an ounce of mass just growing... and growing...
Its tendrils root into the sewers and latch onto the foundations of other buildings, Its teeth disguised as statues. Unblinking, Unsleeping, It waits for the perfect moment to strike.
The Werehouse.
This map was a challenge to create, I usually try and have a map finished weekly but I recently tested positive for Covid, which has made it a huge challenge. The term "Crushing Fatigue" proved very true for me. Hopefully, it will be easier next week, and after that, this will be a week in the past. Thanks for bearing with me!
“What unspeakable doom lurks at the edges of our vision. Out where nothing can be known, and nothing can be understood. More terrifying than the danger is the complete lack of reason.” - Ida Holly
You arrive at the Chapple. A two-floored structure with an indoor garden at the center of which a large stone henge sits tended to by many quiet druids. It is not the terror you expected. When you were sent here to “Slay the aberrations”. For a moment you feel silly, Standing in this church in your full plate with a sword drawn.
When all at once the druid's eyes snap to you. In one shared voice from many mouths they say. “You were unwise to come here.” as the walls begin to crack and melt.
I made this map as an encounter in my own home game! I wanted to create an encounter where the environment was the enemy. Letting the players work against the tears into the far realms and try their best to close them as the heart of the challenge. With monsters and combat as a secondary challenge on top of that. I used Nothics as the creatures, But I think any aberration could fit the scene.
What would YOU have in this arena?
“Ghosts doesn't narrow it down. Shades, Haunts, Banshee, Hells even some LICHS are ghosts. I’m going to need you to be a lot more specific.” - Ida Holy
The Riverbend estate has been abandoned for decades, It’s previous lord was executed for toying with “Dark Magic”. And no one has so much as ventured there to trim the hedges. But when the lights in the tower started the locals became nervous. Shades began haunting all along the river and the woods around the estate.
If your meaning to head out there, Do it in a storm. Those shades don't much care for the lightning. That said, Best still be on guard, who knows what old evils got left behind in that haunted place. And worse still who knows WHO has gotten into them.
For this map, I wanted to try my hand at making a phased map that also had multiple floors. I tried a lot of different approaches but eventually liked this one the most. The idea being that as the players are exploring the dungeon The lightning storm is going off in the background. The monsters in the dungeon, ghosts of some kind, are only harmable in light. And as the players explore or in combat, they have to time their actions around the lightning!
Sort of a mini-game approach to a dungeon that I think would make for a very fun encounter and offer loads of creative problem-solving moments for players!
I’m a cartographer and a historian. I seek to best understand the world around me. But not all things should be written down. Some things are best forgotten. - Ida Holly
An exposition has traveled deep into the icy glacier cavern, some relics were found from what may have been a ship from long ago- but they haven’t returned in days. Expecting the worst, crossing the ice on dog sleds, descends into the tunnel, repelled by rope and lit by the teal-colored light of the sun through the ice.
A feeling of dread grows further as you delve into the glacier. You should not be here, you don’t belong here. Thoughts like this enter unbidden. At last, you find the ship, around it, bones- must be some ancient sailors. Sailors… with dog sleds.
This map is the first of my April boss fight series! I wanted to put the players against an enemy who was mostly immobile for a majority of the encounter but eventually breaks free and goes absolutely ape. Like all monster-on-map encounters I make, this one also includes a blank background for a finer level of control!
The Druid circles are isolated far from the cities. But don’t get it wrong. Out in the woods, they are protecting us all from things we will never even encounter. - Ida Holly
“It grows every day.” the old fishermen says, lugging cages of sickly looking river-life up onto the dock where you stand. “Slow enough that no one seems to pay it much mind. But we notice. Those of us out there along the rivers. Something is making this whole forest sick. Half my haul comes back looking like this.”
“Black Dragon, I’d wager. Made its lair out there in the wetlands.” A fisherwoman chimes in from her own boat. “Neigh- its gotta be one of them Otyughs. You smell it out there?” “Otyuga-what now?!” The whole dock begins bickering back and forth leaving you with little to go on as you head out deep into the woods- following the rot.
This map is the 3rd in my April boss fight series. This time I went for something that doesn't move about- but creates loads of tough terrain and challenges for the players to navigate to reach the heart at the center of the tree.
With timeless lives and boundless intellect I am forced to wonder if our most brilliant minds were not consumed, would we too be this advanced? - Ida Holly, on elder brains.
“The hive was unlike others the historians wrote about, few if any Psyoniccally controlled minions. Its walls were reinforced like armor. Pipes and gaskets all around hissed and the air was thick with chemical smells.
When we reached Xzvel’s Brine pool it didn’t even seem startled. In our minds it welcomed us… and when a massive door behind it opened the dread machine inside- whatever that monster was building- it tore our party apart with fire and acid and light… You mustn’t venture down there, I beg you!”
This is the last map of my April boss fights only series! I did three others, a rotting heart, a pirate raid, and a frozen horror! For this one, I imagined “who led them all” and came up with the idea of a sort of Elder brain BBEG who has been testing the heroes up to this point! If you saw the others you’ll see in each of the vats is a small nod to them- implying this elder brain somehow created them.
Don’t just stand there! Try and brace it with something! - Ida Holly
The pressure plate clicked, and the whole party held their breath. Nothing seemed to happen after passing through the dungeon filled with falling rocks, Poison darts, and Swinging logs. All manor of Traps, you, at last, arrived in the lich’s tomb, and yet. Not a trap to be seen.
A full second went by before anyone allowed themselves to think maybe it was safe, Then CRASH! The doors slammed closed and WOOSH! All the braziers alit with flame! Dust and rubble cracked and fell from both walls to your right and left. And the whole room rumbled, deep in the sarcophagus you hear a maniacal, cruel, laugh.
This map I’ve wanted to make for ages, Inspired by the ceiling in Temple of doom and the famous trash compactor in A new hope. A classic adventure trope where the whole landscape turns against you that I think can be executed best through a phased battlemap!
“The Gates to the hells open first within us, then around us” - Ida Holly
"We have grown so used to the security of our towers, castles, and stone walls. Humans flocked to their cities and watched waves of soldiers smash against these shields. But the arch-devils claim power over the souls corrupted by evil, living and dead alike. And evil exists within, no stone wall can be built around the soul.
The trouble is they can only shape an evil soul to their bidding that they can reach. and evil souls have enjoyed the security of the living world from their would-be tormentors.
But that has changed. The first arch-devil arrived and each corrupted soul shone like a beacon, a source of power, and each source of power a potential gate. And while they cannot reap the souls of the pure-
they can burry a pitchfork into them, And that's just as good."
Trying something a little different this time. This is more of a map series of 4 maps, Farm, Village, Coastal pier, and City Gates. I imagine this being a sort of frantic moving from place to place defending what you can while more and more of these gates open up. Or perhaps spreading them out over the course of a campaign as the rifts become more frequent.
“It came from beyond the stars in the darkness of an eclipse, It drinks blood and offers fame and riches. Oh, and it sings a mean Soulful solo.” - Ida Holly, Field notes from Worlds Beyond our Own.
The Oddities shop holds many artifacts from across the multi-verse. Trinkets collected from the adventures of its eclectic owner and sold to new up-and-comers who wish to explore the many mysteries of this and many other worlds. Truly artifacts have a way of coming into the shop more than leaving it and its role has grown to be more of a museum. One such artifact recently passed hands and ended up here.
A plant, with a mind of its own. Desires and goals. And a single defining craving, Blood.
This map is part of my 4 part October series of horror-themed maps only! Last year the maps were all quite fun so I decided to make it a tradition. This time I’m basing all the maps off of horror movies starting with The little shop of horrors!
“The real monster was the friends we made along the way” - Ida Holly
It’s Alive! The mad wizard screams as the platform is lowered from the blustering storm above. The body crackled with electricity and the flesh golem is complete. The wild-eyed wizard and his companion smile wicked smiles at your party.
“We appreciate your help! And you will be handsomely rewarded- well those of you who survive the first test.”
The minion throws a switch and the creature is released.
This map is the second of my spooktober22 series. All this month my maps will be horror movie themed! I tried to combine all the greatest labs throughout the Frankenstein mythos, the original, bride of, and even young Frankenstein! (The Abby normal brain is referenced on the desk at the bottom!)
“I was once lost in an underground, not unlike this. Survived by cultivating a grouping of roots and drinking drops from the ceiling. I don’t recommend it.” - Ida Holly
The creeping darkness closes in as the magic candles flicker out. The reliable fixes fail you. Darkvision painted black, Light spells flicker and die. Something isn't right with this darkness. The black of the penumbra seems to call to you. You know in that moment- if you get lost in that pitch black you will never escape.
You flee rushing through the halls of piled bones. Crawling, wading, climbing. Anything to stay in the light of the candles. Until you come upon a door, your only way forward. an inscription above reads ”Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate”
This map is 3rd in my line of Spooky horror movie-themed maps for October. This one inspired by As Above, So Below. One of my favorite underrated horror movies that follow a group of Urban explorers going through Dante’s layers of hell in the Parisian catacombs.
Tried something new this year in October, alongside my usual 4 monthly maps I did an “Inktober” style challenge making 31 ttrpg battle maps. Some of the prompts were more designed for regional or world-style maps but I did my best to interpret them as maps that could be used for an encounter. Some came out really great and im quite proud of them all! There is sure to be at least one or two anyone could enjoy among the whole set!
Mist Closing In, A 6 Phased battlemap. The players are lost deep in a swamp as an ominous and supernatural mist slowly closes in around them. With muck and water up to the knee and tangles of mangrove roots proving the only surface above the water. And someone or something is lurking… waiting for their moment.
“In the deepest mists, on cold nights in isolated parts of the world it is said the dead can peer through the threshold, and spy upon the world of the living” - Ida Holly, on The Haunted Shallows.
As if being lost and stranded in the Mangrove marsh wasn't bad enough the chill of night creeping in has brought with it a choking mist, for now it hangs low to the water, as if dredging through the muck was too easy, at least now if something jumps out you won't see it coming.
Hopefully it has the decency to make it quick, Dying in the mangrove swamps would be preferable to navigating them half alive.
This map is a variation on an encounter set in my book Ida’s Guide to worlds beyond our own! The world is a fantasy dieselpunk setting and features mechs, called automata. And the players come upon a crew of which is trying to make sport repairs as strange eyes watch in the encroaching mists. You can check out more about this scene and the rest of ida’s guide at balatro.net/lore/#Hauntedshallows
Page Turner Bookstore, Even in our world there is something about a warmly lit bookstore that is mysterious and magical. Imagine the mystery that can be found in a bookstore in a fantasy world!
“It is my belief that we are simple vessels for hungry spirits, and it is our goal to feed them wonder. And perhaps it’s only me, but there is majesty and splendor in being lost in a book, just as in an adventure.” - Ida Holly.
This map pack contains many variations on the fantasy bookstore to allow all kinds of ways to use it. From a lair of a book hoarding dragon, A magic Item shop, a Hunting lodge, all the way to a spell bound tome that opens a literal portal when read, depicted as a PNG with a transparent hole in the center so the DM can lay the map over any other to show what lies within the book’s portal.
My hope is that Page Turner Bookstore will be the kind of location players will want to visit often to see what matter of chaos is unfolding at the shop. As we all know there is little more dangerous in fantasy roleplaying than messing around with mysterious books.
Scene of the Crime. 12 variations on the idea of a murder mystery in a dark dangerous alleyway. From Noir, Fantasy, Post apocalyptic, all the way to Cyberpunk. Every game needs a whodunit!
“I knew she was in trouble the moment she walked into my office. She may be a halfling but she was a full woman. And she had feet as hairy as my last case.” - Detective Holly.
Your information was correct. The goon you were hunting after would be in this alleyway around this time. But looks like he got there well before you and won't be leaving anytime soon. His body now lies dead and with it all the information you hoped to glean. Someone silenced him for good. But they were sloppy and evidence is left all around.
If you're fast, maybe you can figure out why this happened, and who was so invested in making sure you don’t get any closer to the truth. And most importantly- where THEY went.
Next to fantasy Noir and Mystery stories have always been my favorite. Especially really over the top pulpy ones! The fist variation of this map I wanted to make a Noir scene but then I thought it would be fun to do the same in other genres! Cyberpunk, Fantasy, Post Apoc, Modern! All of them fit the Murder mystery vibe with only a little alterations between.
I also included a few variations that I thought fit the layout too, Such as a flooded street, an overgrown version inspired by Last of Us, as well as an active dieselpunk warzone set in my own setting of Crudilex!
“So then, Every other day is the day of the living alive then.” - Ida Holly
Inspired by the horror movie this map includes the following 10 variations to allow for a variety of play and use cases for dms!
1. Daytime
2. 1968 B&W
3. Autumnal
4. Attack
5. Reinforced windows and doors
6. Storm 1
7. Storm 2 (Lightning)
8. Burning wagon
9. The Horde
10. Dead (The zombies won) CW: implied self-harm
The Cathedral of the Rose, A primary location that my book Ida's Guide centers around! (And 9 other variations like Cyberpunk, Gate to hell, Weddings, Funerals, a vampire lair and more!)
“A giant rose!? Does it come with GIANT CHOCOLATES!?” - Ida Holly
The Cathedral of the Rose stands as a towering ruin at the heart of the Bramblefen. Its majesty is marred by time and the echo of forgotten prayers lingers in the air. This ancient structure is now overgrown with the relentless embrace of the Bramblefen. Tall spires reach for the suns of crudilex, yet are anchored to the ground by the sinuous vines of the rose.
Inside, the cathedral retains a sense of solemn majesty. Stained glass windows, now cracked and shattered, still showers the space in a kaleidoscope of colors. statues of carved stone stand along the walls, etched with intricate patterns and symbols, perhaps of the faith that once thrived within these walls that is now forgotten by time. The white marble floors are now overgrown with a padding of dirt and tall grass. And the ancient pues are now petrified and blanketed with thick moss.
A heavy aura of reverence still hangs in this place where history and nature have woven together in an eerie dance of beauty and decay.
During my first time in The Glassway, I said, “sell everything? What does that mean?” Then I saw a store that sells stores. So, my first question was answered, and that was the beginning of many, many more. - Ida Holly
A mysterious demi-plane that is an alleyway between worlds. This location is a black market for all manner of strange, alien, and otherworldly beings, who sell and barter all manner of rare items and artifacts not seen anywhere else.
The Glassway is a narrow alley, tightly packed and crowded between looming buildings. Finding your way to The Glassway is a carefully guarded secret. Many outsiders sometimes accidentally get lost in the side streets of a large city and emerge in the Ninoten Loop, or the back door of the bashful Basana Tavern. Only once one has earned the trust of a shopkeep or vendor will the secret to locating the magical market be offered, usually only when they think you may come back for return business.
Also! You can explore the Live Map of the glassway right now at balatro.net/glassway
Clicking anywhere on the map will pull up the lore of the shopkeep or location of that area of the market!
Supplements for TTRPG games are usually about vast cities, or countries, and sometimes, even whole worlds, but Glassway introduces a new concept: what if we took a single street and examined everything about it? What if we met everyone on it, learned every story and visited every single market stall? The goal of The Glassway is to create a vibrant, entertaining hub with lots to explore and uncover, to add spice to the sometimes dreaded “shopping session” by making it more rewarding and suffusing it with more and better roleplay!
Their house is a museum. When people come to see 'em. They really are a scre-am! The First of my Fun-Scary October Halloween maps! The Addams Family Mansion! In a cozy nook between the Swamp and the graveyard! 0001 Cemetery Lane.
For the entire month of October, as always, I'll be creating horror-themed maps—four in total. This marks the third year of this tradition, and it's officially becoming a favorite! This year, we're taking a page out of Laudna's book. The theme of all of them for 2023 is FUN SCARY! And what better way to start than with a map inspired by everyone's favorite goth icons? Putting the 'nuclear' in the nuclear family!
The Addams family house! primarily based on the 60s floor plan, but I've also incorporated elements from the 90s movies for the basement and an attic.
In addition to the various levels of the mansion, you'll find three eerie variations: Dark, Stormy, Dark AND Storms. There's also a classic black and white version. My personal favorite, though, is a hot pastel pink rendition, based on how the house actually appeared in color. Surprisingly, much of the house was super bright, designed for black and white TV viewing!
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